History

The M&B Story

The history of our company actually goes back four generations to the early 1940’s when Milton M. Magnus, Sr., and Roy Brekle were working for Pepsi-Cola in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1943, they left to form their own company, using their initials, M&B, for the name. At first, they reconditioned used bottle caps to sell back to the soft-drink industry. During the company’s infancy, a local drycleaner told them that, because of the war, steel hangers were in short supply. Roy built a hanger-making machine, and Milton bought the wire and sold the hangers.

To this day, M&B Hangers remains family-owned and family-operated. Milton M. Magnus, Jr. (who went by his middle name, Malcolm), joined the company after the war and stayed until he retired in the late 1980s. Milton M. Magnus, III, the current president, joined M&B Hangers in 1974. And sales representative Milton M. Magnus, IV, known as Mack, came aboard in 2007.

The wire garment hanger may be a simple thing, but both it and the industry as a whole have undergone significant changes. We’ve diversified our drycleaning supplies by adding cape hangers (wrapped in paper), strut hangers (with cardboard tubes), and paper goods, and we’ve added a line of industrial hangers as well.

In 1963, we opened our current headquarters in Leeds, Alabama, 15 miles east of Birmingham. In the 1990s, M&B was one of seven major U.S. producers of hangers. Today, we’re the only full-line hanger manufacturer left in this country. In addition to the manufacturing plant in Leeds, the company operates a production facility in Piedras Negras, Mexico. Both plants use the same processes, coatings, and steel, and both adhere to the same strict environmental standards.

As a company, we try to act responsibly—with “Integrity To Hang Onto.” Not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s also good business. For example, when we worked with PPG Industries to design a painting system that was more environmentally friendly, we achieved greater durability and efficiency as well.

In the end, we work to create long-term relationships by making high-quality products and providing the best possible customer service.